


The Sand, the Surf, and the Stars

by nausicaa82



Series: Thundershield Prompts [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Beaches, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Thundershield Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-02
Updated: 2013-07-02
Packaged: 2017-12-16 20:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/866445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nausicaa82/pseuds/nausicaa82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark takes the Avengers out to the beach in Malibu, and Steve becomes sad, remembering the last time he was at a beach.</p><p>This is for ThunderShield Week, Monday prompt:  Avengers at a waterpark/beach</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sand, the Surf, and the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd, I welcome people politely pointing out mistakes so I may correct them.

The private beach cove of Tony Stark's Malibu home wasn’t really private but more along the lines of impossibly hard to get to unless you used the stone path from his house.  When the billionaire found out that none of his other teammates had ever had a proper day at the beach, he was beyond shocked and immediately had Pepper set the whole thing up.  

“But what does one _do_ at the beach?” Thor asked as he inspected the boxes that had been delivered for the outing. Everybody was taking their share of the food and other supplies down to the beachfront.

“Whatever you would like: lie in the sun, catch a fish to eat, swim in the ocean,” Tony offered.

“Melanoma, Trichinosis, and Box jellyfish stings-- this is going to be great.” Clint rolled his eyes.

“Trichinosis is from pork, not fish,” Bruce corrected.

“Besides, Clint, from what I've gathered, the best thing to do at the beach is to drink and read.” Natasha held up two bottles of vodka and a paperback edition of _Pale Fire._ Pepper nodded in approval.

“Sometimes you are too Russian for your own good. That,” Tony pointed an accusatory finger at the book, “is not a beach read.” Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the boxes, making her way down the path. The others then followed her lead.

“Steven,” Thor assisted his boyfriend in balancing the three large coolers of ice and drinks in his arms. “These jellied-fish sound delicious-- like the sandwiches you make; do you think we’ll be able to catch one?” Thor gathered up the remaining bins, and the two blonds followed the others.

“Actually, I think they are called jellyfish because they _look_ like blobs of jelly but they also have these terrible tentacles. They aren’t really like fish at all and can be dangerous, so we should keep an eye out for them if it gets cloudy or dark. But they aren’t usually a big problem here.”

“Nevertheless, I know the seas have many creatures that can bring harm; we shall remain vigilant for everyone’s safety.”

"That sounds like a plan." Steve smiled, thinking about how much Thor really did care for everyone despite the distance they seemed to keep from him, conscious or not.

The afternoon felt like it had slipped by quickly and was filled with lazy pursuits. They waded along the shore, letting the waves crash about their thighs, but no one really wanted to fully swim in such cold water. They set up a net and played a few rounds of volleyball that got too intense rather quickly as everybody, including Pepper and Phil, was fiercely competitive and always wanted to win. As it got warmer, some sat under umbrellas to read or nap, and Tony convinced Bruce to test out one of his new gadgets against the corrosive elements of the beach.

Thor and Clint set up a grill pit and a bonfire, getting it started just as the sun was beginning to set. Thor looked around and noticed Steve was not around the camp the group had made. He was sitting on the sand about 100 yards away, his arms around his knees, facing the ocean. Thor grabbed a few blankets and bottles of water then trotted out to him.

“Steven?” 

“Oh, hey.” Steve wiped at his face and gave a tight smile.

“It is better to sit on one of these.” Thor spread the blanket out and pulled Steve into his arms. “What troubles you?” Steve leaned into Thor’s side, resting his head on his shoulder but still looked out to watch the sun sinking into the ocean.

“I kind-of lied to Tony. I’ve been to the beach before, but it… wasn’t quite like this. During the war, there was this time we were invading a beach, and it was…” Steve trailed off, unable to really describe how terrible the battle had been, worse than most of the situations the Avengers had ever had to face.

Thor knew how easy it was to sing of battles that brought victory and honor, but he also understood how difficult it was to even just remember the ones that took something from you that you could never get back. So he sat there and shared the silence that was only interrupted by the calming rhythm of the water rushing back and forth along the shore. The two watched the sky change colors, and Thor was in awe to observe something so beautiful with the man he loved. He casually rubbed at Steve’s shoulders and back, glancing over to see the last bits of sunlight in his hair and his eyes no longer so wet. When the sun's light was completely gone, the stars started to shine.

“Do you wish to go back to the others for dinner?”

“Not yet,” Steve shook his head. “I haven’t seen the sky full of stars like this since… well, ever.”

Thor pulled the other blanket over them as the wind from the ocean was now more chilling than refreshing. Thor then leaned back and gently guided Steve with him, arranging him to rest his head on the demi-god’s shoulder. The two now staring up into the night sky. 

“It is a shame you cannot fully see them as they are. I believe it is your atmosphere that robs the stars of their colors. Such vibrant blues, reds-- all the colors of the Bifrost are represented. I do not have the poet’s words to describe it well, but I am sure if you saw it, you would be able to capture the majesty with your fingers for others to understand.”

Steve leaned in closer to lightly kiss his cheek, and Thor tightened his embrace, turned his head, and returned the kiss to his beloved.


End file.
